accommodate people who show up here late this evening to get them across. ideally they are trying to get everyone across by 8:00. of course, it may slip into 8:30. this is a part of a $6.4 billion project. we have been talking about this for about two decades ever since the earthquake. and the last time this bridge was shut down was in 2009 and everything went smoothly. it is going to happen again. everyone is talking about alternatives that you can take to get across the bridge. you can go the san rafael bridge but everybody is saying bart, bart, bart. you must take bart to get across. but a lot of folks will be commuting from home. so everyone is talking about all kinds of ways and they are doing this during the labor day holiday, that is no excuse. they did this on purpose hoping

everyone would get across. coming up at 6:00 we talk more about the bay bridge closure coming up at 6:00. reporting live in oakland i'm cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. >> thank you. it has been 24 years in the making, all of this and it cull miinates this weekend. bart is going to be your key here. bart will run 24-hour service between 14 stations. the plan is to run trains on an hourly basis but that can change based on staffing and need. getting around could get tricky. go to our website, nbcbayarea.com and click on the tab in the upper left-hand corner. our website will give you alternative routes and link you to the live bay bridge camera. new developments in the fight to put out the rim fire near yosemite. the constant assault is finally paying off. fire crews have an idea of when they will be able to contain the blaze. marianne favro is live with the

latest. >> reporter: you can see the thick clouds of smoke behind me. fire crews say that they don't think they will be able to contain this fire until september 10 and that is if everything goes their way. firefighters on the front lines say the rim fire is a beast, stubborn and unpredictable and that's just the beginning of the challenges they face. >> rugged terrain, heat, very, very dry fields. our people tell us they have never seen fuel this dry. >> reporter: the fire has scorched 293 square miles. crews are using dozers to clear out brush and trees fuelling the flames and to cut containment lines. more than 4,000 firefighters have joined the effort including dozens from the bay area. >> we have a strike team here with me that consists of personnel and fire apparatus from all over santa clara county. >> reporter: including palo

alto. firefighters are concerned about these clouds called convection column that can spew hot debris from the fire miles ahead of the containment lines. the fire is 23% contained but still threatening more than 4,000 homes and crews know they have a tough and long battle ahead. they don't expect to fully contain the fire until september 10. this is a self-contained base camp for the more than 4,000 firefighters out here fighting the rim fire. the day crew is coming in for dinner. the night crew is about to head out. this is a 24-hour firefighting effort. we know that 91 people who have been evacuated are staying at the american red cross shelter. reporting live marianne favro, nbc bay area news. >> as the fire rages on a group from san jose state is diving into the disaster zone.

an associate professor, he and students are studying the fire with the help of a specialized truck, the only one of its kind in the world. the truck features high tech equipment that allows researchers to figure out how the fire and atmosphere interact, the goal, to determine the direction the flames are headed and how far they may go. >> we are collecting data that has never been measured before in the heart of wild fires. this data is use td and needed to better predict wildfire behavior. >> the classes have made two trips to the burn area to collect samples from the plumes of smoke. smoke from the fire is impacting communities hundreds of miles away including popular vacation spots. labor day weekend is right around the corner and is huge for lake tahoe and reno. thousands head to the sierra for the weekend. chief meteorologist jeff ranieri is with us. i talked to people with lake

tahoe plans on hold. >> it is something that is going to be slow to clear out. we want things to work out for the weekend but in this case it is unlikely going to happen. take a look at this from nasa. it is a snapshot from space. it is what we call the visible satellite. look at the smoke plumes lifting up from the north from the epicenter of the fire. the smoke is lifting up as high as 25 feet in the atmosphere and being carried up in the upper level pattern. it is like in the airplane and you get the tail wind because the wind is so strong. obviously that smoke having no problem reaching as far north as lake tahoe and portions of reno. 187,000 acres have burned as we have mentioned and that is pushing that smoke here continually across tahoe and reno. right now unhealthy levels of air quality. it looks like at this point from

our projections the smoke will stay at least for the next four days in the forecast as we will have plenty of fuel here with this fire with no short term solution when it comes to getting these flames out at least over the next four days. current forecast does have two new changes not only hotter air temperatures in the 90s in the next 24 hours but also lower humidity, overall winds five to 15 miles per hour. you know when we fight fires here in southern california we can get winds as high as 60 miles per hour. that is one thing the firefighters have not dealt with and that is at least some good news as they continue to make forward progress on this fire. >> thank you. some very good information for us. we covered this during our 5:00 newscast yesterday. it was difficult to watch these homes in fairfield go up in flames. today firefighters have a better idea of the damage. the fire destroyed five homes and damaged another ten homes. it started in grass near

interstate 80 and jumped a creek and skirted the freeway sound wall before reaching these homes. in all 40 acres were burned. the cause of the fire is under investigation. don't be alarmed. an emergency test could catch people in contra costa county offguard tonight. the county is testing a new emergency telephone emergency system from a new vendor. some received alerts late and others not at all. starting in just a few minutes at 5:30 tonight people who live near four refineries and chemical plants in the county will begin receiving calls. the tests will run through 7 p.m. if your cell phone is registered to receive alerts you will receive a text alert tonight. strike averted or so we think. today a tentative deal between santa clara county and its largest union was reached.

local 521 whose members are local safety dispatchers and health care workers will vote on approving the deal. last week the union staged a demonstration outside of county head quarters saying they were protesting the current contract. union workers planned to go on a three-day strike next week. however, again, they reached a tentative deal. the terms of the new deal have yet to be made public. now to a follow up on a story. yesterday it was a styrofoam ban. today sugary drinks and milk on the chopping block. san jose councilman introduced a proposal to ban sodas and sports drinks and whole milk at city properties and events. said it was a move to promote healthier diets in san jose. still ahead here at 5:00, remembering the dream 50 years

later. celebrities, politicians and thousands of others head to the capitol to reflect on martin luther king's dream as the president reveals what he thinks needs to be accomplished. the silicon valley puts its own spin on health care. we are going to show you life saving robots. she is living in a dorm and got a room mate. four-time gold medal swimmer is here in the bay area checking in at cal. good afternoon i'm jeff ranieri in the nbc bay area weather center. a lot of sunny skies but that fog is coming back right now in our palo alto camera you can see the thin line of cloud cover. we have the latest on the fog factor forecast coming up plus a few showers offshore. what does it mean for weekend cooling? i want you to know stuff i want you to be kind. i want you to be smart. super smart. i want one thing in a doctor. to speak my language.

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marching to mark the day.

hundreds of thousands of people desnded on the nation's capitol to mark the 50th anniversary of dr. martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. president obama spoke on that same spot. live at the lincoln memorial. good evening, steve. >> reporter: good evening. organizers say 100,000 people came here to washington today, most including president obama believe we have come a long way in our nation. it is still divided by race but nowhere near as badly as we were when dr. martin luther king jr. delivered his speech here in washington in 1963. 50 years later marching in washington again was ducky burris. less emotional this time. >> now i'm 77.

>> reporter: is it because things are better now? >> things are better in some areas. >> reporter: half a century later on this day as the crowd gathered in the rain at the lincoln memorial only 54% of americans believe the dream has been achieved. only 21% of african-americans do. congressman john lewis is the sole surviving speaker from '63. >> 50 years later we can ride anywhere we want to ride, we can say what we want to say. those lines that say whites and colored are gone. >> reporter: all eyes were on america's first black president. barack obama did not descend from slaves but to many he is a realization of king's dream. >> because they marched city councils changed, state legislatures changed and congress changed and eventually the white house changed. >> reporter: he said the struggle now ought to be about

everyone's economic security. >> the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many blanks could join the ranks of millionaires but whether this country would admit all people willing to work hard into the ranks. >> reporter: another challenge to the nation 50 years after dr. martin luther king's. president obama making reviving the middle class his theme not just for today. he will keep it for the tough political fight ahead over the budget. live in washington. i . fewer cops, more counselors. a report sponsored in part by the aclu finds black students in oakland are much more likely to be arrested than their peers. as a result it is recommending the oakland unified school district reduce police officers to patrol in and around schools

and hire more school counselors. >> i believe it will not make our schools safer because many black youths in oakland are coming into contact because of stereotypes. >> disagrees when it comes to bhie black youths are arrested more frequently and what more oakland unified can do about the problem. now to a developing story. president obama announced today the u.s. has concluded that the syrian government carried out the chemical weapons attack last week that killed hundreds. u.n. inspectors are in syria to investigate the alleged attack. earlier today the u.n. security council failed to reach an agreement on a british proposed plan that would authorize the use of military force against syria but the u.s. is still deciding what kind of action it might take. about 6,000 syrians have fled to lebanon in the past 36 hours in

fear of a possible u.s. led attack. it was the worst shooting on the u.s. military base and today the gunman was sentenced to death. a military judge sentenced nidal hasan. he stared straight ahead. last week a jury found the former army psychiatrist guilty of killing 13 people. he could become the first american soldier executed in more than a half a century. the future of the state prison system is in the balance. a new prison reduction plan unveiled breaking ranks with the governor and the rest of the legislature. both plans address the federal court order requiring the state to reduce its prison population by nearly 10,000 inmates by the end of this year. senate president says they want the governor to negotiate an agreement with prison lawyers to extend the reduction deadline by

three years and present that plan to the federal court. those prison lawyers filed the original lawsuit which stated overcrowding conditions were leading to inadequate care for inmates. today bay area professionals got training on how to deal with commercial sexual exploitation of children. social workers, law enforcement and attorneys are among the dozens of trainees being taught how to recognize exploitation, talk to the victims and follow a case including how to prosecute offenders. >> once we could get a foothold and try to rescue a child which is our first goal then we can try to put them in jail. >> reporter: this three day training program is conducted by the new york nonprofit called jurlz educational and mentoring services. a nice day. let's check in with chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. >> fog in the morning did help to drop temperatures a little

bit. your thermometer is right on track. let's get a look at the active pattern. we have another system. this is all going to be lifting off to the north. no rainfall from this for us. it is a sign, again, of at least an early start on that storm track. may have you thinking about september as we head into fall next month and what is on our way overall in san jose. maximum temperatures drop to around 80 degrees and due at least one decent storm with average precipitation for the month around .18 inches. no rainfall in the next 24 hours but does look promising. first look at our thursday forecast temperatures upper 50s to low 60s. live network shows us this on our wednesday. the fog over to the east bay at this point. that is a great indication of

what is to come for tomorrow. we put the camera in reverse and you can see looking back the opposite direction we have the fog building up to about 2,000 feet. that is going to have an easy time moving in. off to the south we are currently cloud free here in san jose. on your fog factor forecast as we head throughout thursday it is going to be the entire coast line highlighted here. also areas of drizzle that we expect. also for sections of the north bay, as well. we see a little bit of the cloud cover moving back to the east bay. about 85% of us with sunny skies in the afternoon. we just hold on to the cloud cover. what is this going to mean for our temperatures? comfortable here for the south bay. you get far away from the bay and the temperatures are a little bit hotter here. 88 in gilroy. 76 in santa cruz. palo alto at 82. for the east bay dublin one of

the hotter spots. hills should help amplify the temperatures and get you close to 90 degrees. san francisco at 69. napa at 87. the system this weekend looks to stay off to the north. any sign of showers looks to be right about the california/oregon border. for us morning fog and drizzle. temperatures the low to mid 80s all the way through labor day of next week. all in all a stable pattern as we end august. we'll see what comes our way. >> when he is crossing his fingers we are in trouble. >> it is going to come true. do you know what a selfy is. there is a new reason to eat your broccoli. silicon valley robots coming to a hospital near you.

why this guy is a real life safer.

in health matters eating broccoli could help prevent arthritis. researchers say a compound appears to slow the break down of cartilage in the joints associated with osteoarthritis. the study showed mice had less cartilage than those who ate more amounts. scientists are now planning a clinical trial for patients who are awaiting knee replacement surgery. she is no ordinary freshman. olympic superstar misi franklin checked in at cal. she will start her first day of

class tomorrow. how many college students hold their own news conference. the gold medalist said she is looking forward to being part of the cal swim team. franklin says berkeley is the most unique environment she has lived in. >> it is so much fun. you get used to seeing the fun quirky people on the sidewalk. everyone is so friendly wherever you go. it is fun like getting accustomed to it. it is exciting living in a new place. it is very different from colorado for sure. >> welcome to the bay area. franklin is living on campus with a room mate like the other freshm freshmen. she has no idea what she wants to study but is excited start school. miley cyrus made twerking more well known and now it is officialally a word. oxford dictionary added 60

words. byod, baby moon. fomo, fear of missing out and the ever present selfie. a cancer treatment developed here in the bay area.

bringing new hopes to patients while boostinghe fortunes of silicon valley companies. >> hospitals are buying more

robots than ever before. our business reporter scott budman spent time with robots today. >> we talked about how so many advances have come out of silicon valley. now we are seeing the rise of the robots helping patients and taking health care to another level. that's the sound and this is the machine changing the way we fight cancer, the cyber knife made by sunnyvale's acuray with sales rising as hospitals turn to high tech radiation treatment. >> we are very customer focused. >> reporter: and ceo tells us patients start to expect medical devices like the cyber knife in hospitals focusing a precision laser beam to target and eliminate a tumor. >> what that does is it translates into better clinical benefit for the patient. they can be treated more rapidly. they have less side effects as a

result. >> reporter: the cyber knife and companion products have boosted new product orders by 30% from last year. hospitals want the new technology and with health care changes on the way they'll serve more patients. >> we actually have installations on every continent in almost every country which is really interesting because the challenges in u.s. health care they have in all the other countries of the world. >> reporter: even with the cyber knife costing as much as $7 million the benefits of sending more of these to a hospital near you. >> and news about the 30% jump in sales excited investors as well as patients. stock value jumping by nine percent. robots are becoming more common in hospitals and coming from here in the bay area. >> cyber knife. >> that is remarkable. fancy stuff. thanks for joining us. >> we hope to see you back here at 6:00.

7 on the broadcast tonight from washington -- ready to strike. the u.s. prepare as military attack on syria, but tonight the house speaker tells the president to slow down. we'll take a closer look at the possible consequences of american military action. remembering the dream. 50 years after dr. king's historic speech, a huge crowd comes here to celebrate, remember and inspire the nation to finish the job. death sentence for the army psychiatrist convicted in the massacre at fort hood. and air scare. a new warning tonight about the wildfire at yosemite and what it's doing to the air people are breathing so many miles away. "nightly news" begins now.